Moreno's uncle, Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Peter Moreno, said Friday military officials informed Moreno's parents a Marine accidentally killed him. "The unit sat around in a circle cleaning weapons for their next assignment. The gun went off and struck David apparently in the face. He was killed instantly," he said.

Moreno had been assigned to a Marine division, and was deployed to Al Hamishiyah.

The death remained under investigation.

He had been presented a Navy-Marine Corps Achievement medal for individual valor.

Peter Moreno said his nephew's body would be returned to Gering within two weeks for burial.

Moreno's parents, David and Yolly Moreno, moved from Gering to the San Diego area about four years ago. His 21-year-old sister, Holly Moreno of Spring Valley, Calif., said the family lived for four years in Lincoln, Neb., before living a few years in Gering, where he has extended family.

Moreno planned to leave the Navy next year to attend medical school, his sister said.

"The whole family has taken it very hard," said an aunt, Barbara Lopez of Gering. "D.J. was a very gentle, very mild-mannered, soft spoken young man. His goal was to eventually finish medical training and go into pediatrics."

Moreno was assigned to Naval Medical Center in San Diego where he was a corpsman. Similar to medical technicians, corpsman assist Navy doctors with trauma patients. Moreno joined the Navy Jan. 7, 1998, and took basic and medical training in Chicago. He had advanced training before being stationed three years in Guam.

With deep respect for this sailors death,can anyone tell me what an accidental discharge is? We were taught from T-D 1 to check the chamber for a round,and to keep the weapon on safe when not in use....